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MP praises enterprising young mechanic as "excellent role model"

STOURBRIDGE MP Margot James has praised an enterprising Kingswinford mechanic on the road to succcess with a new business as “an excellent role model for young people”.

The MP stopped off to see the new Fastfit West Midlands garage in Lye opened by young entrepreneur Rhys Davies after hearing the 20-year-old founded the firm after a series of setbacks trying to gain work.

On completing a course in motor technology at Stourbridge College, Rhys struggled to find suitable work despite sending off hundreds of CVs.

So after taking a temporary job and scraping together the funds to buy tools and a van he set himself up as a mobile mechanic and was soon turning over £2,000 a week.

But when his insurance policy expired he was unable to find a firm willing to renew it so his flourishing business skidded to a halt.

Determined to make a success of his chosen career - he took the plunge and sold his van, his car and a few belongings and decided to lease a unit on Dudley Road to open up his own garage.

Since then he has worked tirelessly to attract clients - hand-posting thousands of leaflets and writing to businesses with vehicle fleets to offer discounted rates for his services.

Ms James said: “I was inspired by Rhys because of the way he handled adversity. It was a real pleasure to meet him and hear about his new FastFit business. It is terribly unfortunate that he could not continue growing his mobile mechanic business, but he has already shown he has the qualities to be very successful in this industry.

“I very much hope FastFit will be a great success, and Rhys could well end up providing employment for other people in the area through his endeavours.

“His drive to succeed really is exemplary, and he is an excellent role model for other young people who want to run their own business.”

Rhys, who has a young son, said: “My business is getting busier as the days go on. It's a busy and competitive market, but I will stick to my ethos and continue my efforts to grow the organisation.

“I hope to show people leaving college that, although daunting, it is possible to set up business. It's a learning curve, and it takes a lot of twists and turns but as long as you have a passion for something and a desire to achieve your goal then even with minimal funding it is possible to create your own future.”